In what should be a non-event for most of the people, it snowed in Paris this week. Oh boy, and it snowed heavily than what I have witnessed in past 4 years in France. And it wouldn't be an overstatement if I say, I have never seen Paris look so beautiful in my life!

View from my balcony

Being born and grown up in harsh, hot weather of Delhi, with blinding-foggy winters, I have had only a few brushes with snow in my life. My first encounter with snow was when I used to work in Romania. That got out of hand, pretty quickly. The whole town was covered in snow for over 3 months! Suffice to say I believe I finished the quota of snow-days for 24 years of my past life in those 3 months!

The little town I lived in, Timisoara, had a different charm in the snow. Having an apartment and office in close to each other helped me a lot to discover new snow-covered ways through parks, central squares, near rivers and over the bridges - all while walking back and forth from work. Though I didn't realize it at that time, but the sentiment snow evokes in me is something as close as love as one can feel!

The yearning I had, over the years, to see and feel fresh layers of snow never went down even a notch. To add to it, I don't remember where, but there was a scene in a movie (or a TV series?) where the actor opens his mouth to taste the pure taste of snow, as it falls, made me add that to my bucket list!

And, I tasted snow! ...as it fell by buckets, in the shape of tiny feathers from the sky!

I left for work at 5.30am couple of days ago, and it was snowing lightly. Though I hate to get up so early, not to mention venture out of the house at such ungodly hours, but what I felt was surreal that day. While the world (and the Mrs.) were tucked in their Razais, I was the lone soul walking outside, with an ocean of snow in any direction I saw. Only to be punctuated by some iconic Parisian buildings. I was creating fresh footprints in the freshly laid snow, with no sounds except the one I was making while stepping on the snow clouds!

To put it briefly, I witnessed and felt pure magic! I can write pages to describe what I felt early morning that day, and still feel that I haven't conveyed my feelings properly. But instead...

... I will take a pause here and wish everyone reading this to feel - every single day of their life - the happiness and magic I felt that day.